“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” - Ephesians 4:11-13
Ministry is another aspect of our worship. When we serve others, as Christ did, we not only serve God but we also worship Him by allowing His plan, His wisdom amd His creativity to be fulfilled through us.
Like a snowflake, God has distinctively designed each person. No two of us are alike. We are all incredibly unique and God planned it that way. In Ephesians 2:10 it states, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
You are God’s workmanship – His handiwork, His artwork, His masterpiece. You are His workmanship and He has made you for a specific reason. He has made you with a plan for how you would fit into the Body of Christ and if He has brought you to Northside, He has a specific plan for how you would fit in here.
We believe that God’s workmanship including all of the various facets of your life and how God has worked them together.
Whole and Part – Your relationship to the Body of Christ
Opportunities – Your options at Northside
Relationships – Your connections to others
Knowledge and Experiences – Your training and past
Maturity – Your growth in the Lord
Availability – Your obligations
Natural Talents and Abilities – Your natural talents
Spiritual Gifts – Your divine enablements
Heart – Your passion
Interests – Your leisure activities and hobbies
Personality – Your behavior and individuality
Notice that while we are His unique creation, we were created for a reason. We were created to “do good works” that He has planned “for us to do.” Many churches today practice what might be called a “hired help” philosophy of ministry – they hire a pastor or staff and expect them to do all of the work. This is contrary to the plan God has for the church and to the way that He has created each believer as His workmanship.
As Paul explains in Ephesians 4:11-13, God has given to the Church gifted leaders, to prepare God’s people, His workmanship, so that they can do the work of ministry, and so that they can build up the body of Christ. God never intended for any church to hire a pastor to do their ministry – He intended that every believer would serve in the church and would be busy about building up the Body of Christ. As His workmanship, you was created to serve the Body of Christ.
We will understand what we are to do or how we are to serve when we understand who we are or how we were made. As Rick Warren has put it, “What God made me to be determines what He intends for me to do.” At Northside, we want to help you discover the unique way God has made you so that we can help you enjoy the unique way He intends for you to serve in the Body of Christ and to see it build up.
You are God’s workmanship and you will find joy and fulfillment in allowing Him to direct and use you in those ways that He has chosen to prepare you. He’s the potter, you’re the clay!
